Ra'zac
by IthoughtIwouldbethehero
Summary: The mad king said that the two ra'zac Eragon killed aren't the last of their kind. And if there's one thing even the mad king didn't do, it's making false threats. Rated T just in case
1. Chapter 1

As the boat silently drifted down the river, Eragon lay down on the boat and thought of the things he left at Alagaesia. Roran, Nausauda, Orik, Arya...at least he could see them through the magical mirrors he had given them. The boat suddenly stopped.

"We'll camp here for the night, Shadeslayer." Blodgharm said. Saphira landed beside them, her scales glistening in the light of the fading sun. They unpacked and lit up a fire.

"I'll go find something to eat." Eragon said. The elves nodded.

"Go on, Saphira. Get yourself something to eat. I don't always fall in trouble everytime you leave me." the rider said to his dragon, who was watching him carefully.

_ No, but you do most of the time. _The dragon said. _What about last week, when you were attacked by a giant boar?_

_ It was nothing. I could have taken care of it myself._

_ Yes. _Saphira snorted, _Which was exactly why you got that nasty little scar._

_ I'm fine. _Eragon said, rubbing his arm where the boar had left its mark, _Anyway, just go. I promise not to fall in trouble._

_ Of course you do. It's just that trouble finds you. _And with that, Saphira spread her massive wings and took to the air, scaring off a few birds perched in their nests. Eragon smiled, and went into the forest to find something to eat.

zzz

It didn't take long for him to find something to eat. Some of the trees had fruits that were already ripe, and he was luck enough to gather a handful of nuts which the animals hadn't taken. He was just about to turn around and go back to camp when he found some trees torn off, as if something fell from the sky and crashed into them.

_Curiosity killed the cat, _Eragon thought. He stood there for a moment, and decided to go where it led to. He found that it led to a cave, well hidden between the forest. Huge claw marks littered the ground in front of it. The rider decided to take a peek. He didn't have to look long before he found a door. Inside were hundreds of eggs, all black as night. He knew what they were, and knew one when he saw one.

"Ra'zac." he whispered quietly.

zzz

Okay this is IthoughtIwouldbethehero(pretty long) from . I know it's short, but the next chapter will be longer. Please review(Oh, and there might be some grammar mistakes, but unless you have trouble understanding the meaning, just read.)


	2. Inside the cave

Hello. This is the author speaking. I went on a school trip last Friday. I shouldn't have. In the first night, some of the guys in our room didn't sleep at night. What did they do? They pulled off some nasty pranks. The guys who were sleeping...when they woke up, they found somebody sprayed hot sauce on their lips, put salt in their eyes, and some guys found themselves sleeping in the veranda. The second night...well, it was worse than the first. The guys who stayed up the first night are tired, so they sleep. But the ones who slept then, they aren't as tired, and they're out for revenge. Welcome to hell. I didn't sleep for two nights straight. I better keep on writing the story.

zzz

For a moment Eragon was dumbstruck. _So that was what Galbatorix meant. _He thought, thinking of when the old king said that there were more Ra'zac eggs out there. Then he regained his wits and contacted Saphira, briefly telling her about the situation.

_I'm investigating more _he said

_Why?_

_ We don't know much about them, except that they're Ra'zac, and that's not much. We need information. Go back to the elves and tell them to contact Arya. If there are only one or two Ra'zac, we should be fine. But judging from the eggs, I'm guessing that that isn't the case. And we might need the elves by our side. Contact Orik, too, just in case. Dwarves might not be as resistant to the Ra'zac as the elves, but they're good fighters, and they might mean the difference between life or death. _Eragon could sense Saphira's growing uneasiness. For a moment, none of them spoke.

_One hour. _Saphira said, _You have one hour to come back before I start ripping every cave in the area to find you._

_Okay. Make sure you get something to eat before you come finding me. _He said, and trotted into the chamber.

He searched there for about a minute but didn't find anything. Before he left, he decided whether or not he should break the eggs. If it was found, he might have a hard time getting out. If he didn't, then he would be facing them on the battlefield.

_Better kill your enemies when you have the chance. _

"Jierda." he whispered, and was surprised to be met with resistance. Somebody put a spell on the eggs protecting them from harm. He cursed, and, after waiting a moment, uttered the true name. Ten seconds later he was exiting a chamber full of broken eggs.

Eragon took care to look into every door that was open. The cave was surprisingly long, and it reminded him of the place the Ra'zacs used to hide out in the Empire. His hour was almost up, and he didn't have much success. All the doors seemed like living chambers with nobody inside. All of those had been used recently, but the users were nowhere to be found. He decided to take one last peek before he went back. The room was dark. So dark that Eragon, even with the eyes of an elf, couldn't see what was inside. The floor was covered with tiles, and he just stepped in when one of the tiles fell a little and the door shut close.

"Well, well, well. Who do we have here?" asked a deep male voice, "A human, an elf? I can't tell by your smell, and there's something I don't recognize. But that doesn't matter now. You'll tell me what that other smell is when you meet hot iron. Won't he?" The alarming thing was, he couldn't sense his mind even though the speaker, whoever it was, ought to be nearby, and he didn't dare to use the true name in case the speaker heard. But he was more surprised when a chorus of voices answered.

"Yesssss." they hissed, the voices seeming to come from everywhere. Eragon could hear his heart pounding, and for the first time since he entered the cave, he was aware that he was in the cave of the Ra'zac.


	3. Run, run, run as fast as you can

Eragon crept back and tried to open the door, even though he knew it was futile.

"Who are you?" Eragon asked to the voice.

"Well, I guess Priest Da'mir would suffice for now."

"Priest Da'mir of what?" he asked, trying to keep Da'mir occupied. He found out how to unravel the spell that was holding the door tight. For a moment, there was silence as Eragon furiously tried to unravel the spell and litsen to whatever the priest might say at the same time.

"I'm guessing you already know it. You're the one that destroyed it." The voice said. It wouldn't have taken long for the rider to figure out which religion the priest believed in if he wasn't so occupied with the spell.

"And that religion is?" he asked, not knowing he had made a mistake. He had already unraveled the spell and was waiting for the right moment to get out. Then, what he said sunk into him.

"Oh." he said, as he found out how close the Ra'zacs had gotten to him.

"As Tosk wrote, so it shall be."

"Brisingr!" Eragon shouted. A small, dry piece of wood that lying near his foot burst into flames. It wasn't much, but it was enough. The Ra'zacs next to him screeched and covered their eyes. They fell back behind, trying to escape the light, and created a domino effect. The screeches indicated Eragon of the danger he'd been in. There were two hundred or more Ra'zac in the cave alone. The rider opened the door and broke into a run, retracing his steps. The Ra'zac were hot in pursuit. It was a game of catch-If Eragon got to the entrance first, he won and got out with his life. If he didn't...well, he didn't want to think about it. Some of the Ra'zac carried bows, which made it harder for him to win. A stumble could mean a dagger in his back, a wrong turn an arrow in his arm. He was tiring quickly, and the end seemed to be nowhere in sight. Eragon stumbled, and a Ra'zac descended upon him, a dagger in its arm, it's beak held open to utter a terrible screech...as an arrow thuded into its chest. It dropped down, lifeless.

"Shadeslayer!" Blodgharm shouted, "Over here!" The rider didn't need to be told twice. He ran, as the Ra'zac were trying to understand what happened. Soon, they found the entrance, and the remaining creatures that followed them gave up and went back, screeching.

"We have managed to contact our queen. She will be marching here with an army right behind."

"The que...oh, Arya." Eragon said.

"The dwarves, they will come, too. How long it might take them, we are not certain, but the dwarves will come within the month, and our brothers will come in a week, maybe two." the elf said.

_Two weeks. _Eragon thought. _For two weeks we have to hold out an army of Ra'zac. After that, Alagaesia will be free of them once and for all._

zzz

Okay this is the author speaking. Sorry I'm late, and sorry I won't be able to write in the next two weeks. I have to study for my upcoming test, so don't expect any uploads for three, maybe four weeks.


	4. Test end! Yay! Hoorah! Everybody party!

For three days and three nights they fended off attacks until all of them were exhausted and couldn't go on much longer. The magician Eragon had encountered came with them almost every night. He didn't use any magic-he learned it was dangerous the hard way when one of _his _Ra'zac went blind and was swept away by the current. But he used his mind, keeping three and sometimes maybe even four elves occupied. They had set themselves up behind the river, using it, as weak as it was, as some protection against the nightly raids. They scavenged what they could during the daytime, using those as supplies. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any lethrblaka, or else they would have died long ago. As it was, the best they could do was survive, but they couldn't go on like that much longer. They were tired, hungry, and most likely to die.

The sun was still high in the sky, and judging from the angle, they still had about three hours before the raids began.

_This is Eragon Shadeslayer. Come back to our base. I have something to tell you. _All the elves got this message. Those who were out scavenging came back. Those who were sleeping were shaken awake.

"What is it, Shadeslayer?" Blodgharm asked, after all of them had gathered. Eragon paused for a moment, as if trying to think. Finally, he spoke.

"We're backing off." he said. Everybody was silent for a moment.

"Pardon?" a young elf called Vilea asked.

"We're going back to meet with queen Arya's army. Pack your bags. We'll be moving within the hour." None of the elves complained. They knew that if they didn't, they would die. As it was, this decision was risky, too. If they didn't cover a lot of distance before dark, the Ra'zac would catch up with them and it would be slaughter. Ten minutes later, they were ready to move.

zzz

"Damn it." Eragon said at the fading sunlight. They hadn't covered as much distance as he had hoped. Saphira was circling ahead, keeping well out of sight. They had one hour before the Ra'zacs realized they were running away. The elves had done their best covering up their tracks, but the Ra'zac were skilled hunters. It would take them only a few minutes to find out where they were going.

They walked for about an hour more before Blodgharm, who was at the front, motioned them to stop. He pricked the ears. Everything was very quiet for a moment except for the sound of running footsteps. Footsteps getting closer.

"Run!" Eragon shouted, but it was too late. Yellow eyes glistened in the moonlight as the Ra'zac burst into view. They circled the elves, surrounding them, while more and more came until there were five Ra'zac for every elf. The elves were tired, hungry, and surrounded. The Ra'zac outnumbered them five to one, and most of them looked like they were ready to fight. Eragon didn't like the odds. He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost lost the vibration in the ground. But it was getting stronger and stronger by the second. Were they Ra'zac reinforcements? No, it couldn't be, because the enemy looked as confused as they were, and even more so because the elves looked confused. The vibration was getting stronger now, so strong that Eragon thought that the source must be very near.

"Ganga!" somebody roared, as the horses came into view. It was chaos. The riders were apparently on their side, but he didn't know who they were due to the activity surrounding him. As it was, he didn't lose the chance and jumped into battle. It lasted less than 30 seconds. Ra'zac bodies littered the forest ground, those who didn't die fleeing for their lives.

"I saved your bloody head, eh? Looked like you were in a tight corner." Eragon heard a familiar voice speak. He turned to see the speaker.

"Roran!"


	5. Watch your back

"What are you doing here? You should be in Palancar Valley." Eragon said.

"Yeah, well, I heard." Roran said with a shrug.

"How did y..."

"He heard because I was there negotiating with him about the exchange of the rare metals found in the Valley with some of our own. We haven't reached an agreement yet." Arya said, trotting out from the woods. Roran grimaced.

"As I said, the villagers will never permit elves to walk around the Valley, and if they don't like it, then I won't allow it."

"Convince them. You have shown a knack at leading your people through innumerable dangers."

"But...Ah, forget it. The important thing is Eragon is still alive and in one piece."

"The army is right behind. They'll catch up with us soon enough. In the meantime, I want to hear what's happening here, Eragon." Eragon told Arya from the very start, from the moment he found the cave in the middle of nowhere to the time he decided to run.

"I'm impressed." Arya said, "You were trapped in a place with hundreds of Ra'zac, not to mention a priest of Helgrind, yet you escaped. What's more, you held your own against hundreds of Ra'zac without a single loss."

"They didn't have any Lethrblaka. Having a dragon can tip the scales greatly." Eragon said, blushing from her comment, "Speaking of which, where's Firnen?" he could sense the dragon nearby, but couldn't spot him.

_Above you!_ he heard the green dragon shout as he descended from above. Saphira rose to meet him. As the two dragons met, Eragon felt his cheek grow hot, mostly because of the link he shared with Saphira.

"We're going to take you back to camp. Can all of you walk?" Arya asked. Everybody nodded. "Good." she said, "We'll join the main army. It's a two-hour walk from here."

zzz

Two hours later, Eragon was in his tent. When they came back, they found the elves waiting for them near camp. After supper, Eragon was led to his tent. With his mind, Eragon could sense Saphira courting with Firnen overhead. He was tired, but Arya requested that he meet her at her tent with some of the other lords to share his stories. Eragon sighed. After washing himself-briefly-in cold water, he strode off to Arya's tent.

zzz

"So are you telling us that there are hundreds of Ra'zac out there, and that a priest of Helgrind is with them?" Grothg, an elf lord, asked.

"Yes." Eragon said. He was too tired for a longer reply. The elf lords interoggated him for nearly an hour, most of them being doubtful, dubious, or calling him a liar.

"But ho..."

"I don't know. Do you realize that that's the fifth time you've asked that question? I don't know how they eluded the Riders of old. Maybe they hid well until Galbatorix found them. And no, I don't know how strong the priest of Helgrind is. Maybe he's strong as the head priest. Maybe he's weaker. But I doubt the priests of Helgrind would have sent a novice to locate one of their gods." Eragon replied. Deep inside his mind, he knew it was a foolish move to provoke an elf lord, but he didn't care. Being tired can do wonders to one's body.

"I didn't..." Grothg started, glaring at the rider.

"That's enough. Now, if you will excuse us, I need to have a private word with Eragon." Arya said. The elf lords obeyed, albeit with a lot of muttering. Arya sighed, and slumped back into her chair, the only one in her tent.

"I'm sorry, Eragon. But we elves are a skeptical race that usually doesn't believe what it hasn't seen. It has been less than a month before the last war ended. You can't blame them if they want some peace."

"I understand. But I had hoped they would be wise enough to understand that if we don't go to war, war will come to us." he said, frustrated.

"I know. I..." What Arya was about to say was lost as one of the sentinels blew his horn. Everybody was silent for a moment.

"No additional horns." Arya said, "The enemy has been spotted."

zzz

Okay, this is the author speaking. Sorry I'm late. My excuse is that I've been busy. It always is. Again, sorry I'm late.


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